Words matter - Chapter 1: Wicca, witchcraft & witch

Wicca and witchcraft, are they the same? Is a witch always a Wiccan? And are all witches Pagan?

This is a topic that has been discussed to no end in witchcraft circles, but there still seems to be some confusion about it, and I can see where some of it comes from. The terms Wicca and witchcraft are often used interchangeably, not least in older Wiccan literature.

In this article I will discuss some of these terms. and how they relate to each other. I do not profess to have the Ultimate Answer (TM), however, I will be basing this article off of academic work as well as that of reputable authors from the pagan field (some of which are the same). I would also like to point out that there is some confusion of terminology even among scholars in the area.

Let us begin.

Wicca & witchcraft

The terms Wicca and witchcraft are often confused with each other, especially among people who are familiar with neither concept. When I picked up a book called Wiccapedia a while back, I assumed that the name was a combination of the words Wicca and encyclopedia. Oh dear, how wrong I was. It was not an encyclopedia, and it had very little to do with Wicca, at least not in the way I have come to know it. This book, however, used the terms Wicca and witchcraft interchangeably as if they were the same thing. This is something that happens elsewhere as well, and something that I am also guilty of.

So what is the difference then? What differentiated Wicca from witchcraft?

From an academic perspective witchcraft is, simply put, anything today or historically dealing with the practice of magic, anywhere in the world. That is to say: whether you practice folk magic, kitchen witchery of ceremonial magic, you are practicing witchcraft.

Gardner's Witchcraft Today, 1954

Wicca, on the other hand, is a religion. It was created in the 1950s by Gerald Gardner who drew a lot of inspiration from the western esoteric tradition and from Margaret Murray's writings about the Witch-cult of Europe. In short Murray picked up on theories that the witches burnt during the witch-hunts were the de-facto descendants of a pre-Christian pagan witch-cult that had lived on in secret. Gardner, who founded his new religion after being initiated into a witch-coven in the late 1930s, believed that this coven was in fact a remnant of the "old religion". But I will leave the history lesson for an other post.

In the earliest works about Wicca, the term Wicca had not yet become widely used. Instead terms like "the old religion", "Witchcraft" or simply "the Craft" were used. Notice the difference in capitalization between Witchcraft and witchcraft. The former refers to a religious practice, and the latter to a general practice.

Wicca was and still is a religion based on witchcraft, and thus, to the early authors of books on the old religion, it would have been only natural. Look up some titles by Gardner and Doreen Valiente (the "mother of Wicca") and you will find the term Witchcraft widely used in them. This is a good thing to keep in mind while reading books by Wiccan authors: the terms used to be, and still sometimes are, used interchangeably.

The term Wicca became popular during the 1960s when the religion started to spread and split into different traditions, and it is now the most widely used name for the religion. A Wiccan is a practitioner of witchcraft, but all practitioners of witchcraft are not necessarily Wiccan.

Let us make a quick summary:

Wicca: a new witchcraft religion created in the mid 20th Century by Gerald Gardner, with roots in the western esoteric tradition, and the assumption of an unbroken continuance from a (since disproven) pre-Christian fertility religion that evolved into the so called witch-cult after Christianity took over. Wicca has evolved and developed a lot since its inception in the 1950s and has become a diverse religion with many traditions.

Witchcraft: the practice of a witch's craft, an umbrella term for different methods and practices.

Witch

What then, is a witch? Let us simply skip the caricature picture of the old wart-nosed hag stirring her cauldron. A witch, simply put, is someone who practices witchcraft. If we look back to the era of the witch-hunts, it was a term applied to both men and women equally, and in witchcraft circles it is considered a gender neutral term, even though popular media seems to want to differentiate between the genders (just look at Netflix's Sabrina-series where witchcraft-practitioners are pushed into different classes because of their assumed gender, into witches and warlocks, who supposedly own different power potentials).

Before I go off on an other tangent, let us reiterate that the word witch is gender neutral and anyone practicing witchcraft is a witch. You do not, of course, have to call yourself a witch if you do not want to. Most countries have their own terms for practitioners of witchcraft.

***

Interesting to note is that, in my experience, these terms have become more widely discussed in recent times. Most books before this millennia seem to be more interested in discussing paganism than witchcraft, and that might have something to do with a few things:

The research pile just continued growing
while writing this article.

First of all, paganism has been more widely studied in the academic field than witchcraft has. Second, since witchcraft practices have become popularized through the rise and popularity of Wicca, druidism and the goddess-worship movement during the latter part of the 20th Century, and the terms Wicca and Witchcraft were, and still are, used interchangeably, there is more confusion about these terms.

Thirdly, I think that instead of studying witchcraft, academics tend to keep to the topic of occultism. The occult handles esoteric thinking and theory, as well as magic(k), which is also a part of witchcraft. Witchcraft as it's own thing, however, is not being as widely studied, but it seems now to be a burgeoning field attracting new attention from academics.

Paganism, neo-paganism, occultism and western esotericism will have to require their own chapters. Thus I will end this chapter here, hoping you have gleaned some more clarity into these three terms. Questions can be posted below, or in my question box.

Sources

Berger, Helen A. (1999): Witches - Contemporary Neo-Paganism ans Witchcraft in the United States
Johnston, Hannah E. & Peg Aloi (2007): The New Generation Witches - Teenage Witchcraft in Contemporary Culture
Pearson, Joanne (2007): Wicca and the Christian Heritage - Ritual, Sex and Magic
White, Ethan Doyle (2016): Wicca - History, Belief, and Community in Modern Pagan Witchcraft

Save the Date 10-12.4.2020

Here comes some information in Swedish (see English below):

***

Lystring, du hedning, häxa, andlig sökare eller motsvarande, för nu är det dags för den andra inkarnationen av Cirkelgemenskap!

Markera in 10-12.4.2020 i din kalender, då det blir hednisk retreat i Österbotten.

Är du intresserad av häxkonster men vet inte riktigt var du ska börja?

Vill du gå tillbaka till grunderna och hitta magin i ditt liv?

Tilltalar meditation, energiarbete och musik dig?

Då är det här evenemanget för dig.

Vi finslipar ännu programmet och om du således har förslag får du mer än gärna ta kontakt.

Mera information kommer den 10 januari, då vi publicerar vår hemsida och ett Facebookevenemang. Anmälningen till Cirkelgemenskap Ostara 2020 öppnar i februari.

Antalet platser är begränsade så det lönar sig att vara ute i god tid. 

Arrangörer: Stella och Fenris, genom nätverket Svenskfinlands Wiccavänner på Facebook.

E-post: cirkelgemenskap@gmail.com

****

Short version in English:

The second incarnation of Cirkelgemenskap will take place on 10-12.4.2020 in Ostrabothnia. This is a Swedish retreat for Wiccans and Pagans of all kinds. The focus of this retreat is "back to basics", focusing on magic, energywork, meditation and music. More information will be published in January.

Cirkelgemenskap Ostara 2020 is produced by Stella and Fenris of Svenskfinlands Wiccavänner, a Fenno-Swedish pagan network on FB.

Practising your path in your mind

This post is meant as encouragement for the beginner practitioner of Wicca of any Pagan path, and for the one broomcloset witch who cannot practice the Craft openly.

I recently joined the Pagans and Witches Amino, and while browsing posts there I see some posts asking for help with practicing the Craft while living at home with parents that do not necessarily approve. So I wrote this piece.

~***~

I myself grew up in a Christian family, and although I would count them as almost secular compared to some others, they still had hard principles which led them to denounce my choice of Wicca. While still living under their roof, for four years I practiced the Craft as best I could, in secret under their noses.

I thought I would share what I learned during that time, and hopefully it will help you. It helped me to get back to my own practice after some turbulence in my life.


Do what you can, find alternatives
Are you allowed to have candles in the room? Are you allowed to burn incense? Is there a spot you can go to where you can practice undisturbed?

I was allowed candles (but no more than a maximum of two at a time), and incense (but in low moderation). I had a small bedside table where I would light a candle and incense and I would sit quietly in front of this. To my parents I said I was meditating. It worked for me and it might work for you. We all need some quiet in our lives sometimes. This was my way of performing ritual. I will discuss how below.

If you cannot practice at home in privacy, is there somewhere you could safely go where you know you will not be disturbed? I had a spot in a woodland park, slightly off-trail, where I would sometimes go, while sneaking candles, incense, bells and crystals with me in my pockets. I usually went for walks there, so staying a bit longer for ritual or spellwork did not matter.

What of tools then? You might not be allowed an athame, tarot cards or cauldrons, and random bells and wands might look suspicious to some parents. If you stay on this path, you will eventually get all of these. But in the meanwhile, find alternatives.

The athame is used to direct energy, the same goes for the wand. But you can just as well use your finger instead. Any tool you direct energy with is just an extension of yourself and your will.

If you need to find representations for the elements to symbolize them, find something that corresponds with them, that feels like them. For the longest time I used a rock or pinecone to represent earth, a feather to represent air, a red jasper for fire, and a seashell for water.

There are countless things you might use to represent the elements, and if your are crafty you could even make them yourself. Finding different things to use as elemental representations is a good exercise for your mind as well. Which leads me on to the next thing.


The power of the mind
When it comes to performing magic and spells, your most powerful tool is your mind. Magic is to create change in conformity with will, ie. it becomes so because I will it to be so.

As I mentioned earlier, when I started out I would sit in my room, maybe with a candle and some incense, and "meditate". What I actually did was practice ritual and spells. This is possible because of the power of the mind.

The tools we use and the words we say carry symbology that triggers our psyche. This helps our minds support the frameworks of ritual and spellcasting. Or put differently: Tools (as symbols) help us concentrate on the work we are doing.

In itself, the tool does not have any power, besides the one our mind gives it (attunement). This means that even if you had an athame, if you do not know the symbolism behind it, and feel no connection to it, then it will not work for you as a tool because it does not trigger your mind.

In your mind, you can have all the tools you want, or none, that is up to you. When doing ritual or spellwork in your mind, you use visualization to see and feel what you do. You might use physical gestures, but I would usually sit still with my eyes closed. I would even be silent, just saying any words in my mind alone.


Vizualization - the key to successful ritual
I've talked about theory, now let's get down to actually doing it.

If you go in for performing ritual or spellwork in your mind, find somewhere quiet where you can sit, stand or lie down undisturbed. Close your eyes. Imagine yourself in your ritual space. Now you will use your imagination to visualize yourself doing that spell or ritual, following any instructions you have. This will be easiest if you have them memorized.

If you are casting a circle, you can visualize yourself walking around, casting the circle, or you might choose to visualize how the circle just starts forming around you into that perfect bubble. Visualize the tools that you need on your altar, how you prepare spell ingredients and how the spell comes together.

As you raise energy, feel it with your body. You might want to tighten all the muscles in your body as much as possible, and hold on until you are ready to release the energy. When you do, relax your muscles and let go of the energy, but keep the visualization of your ritual or spell going.

End the ritual and take down the circle just as you started it. Then allow your mind to come back to the physical space you are in and reconnect with this world.


"But it's too difficult"
Imagination is something all of us do. As children we are experts on it: imagining we are adventurers, or princesses, or Batman, etc. As we grow older and learn more we tend to use fantasy in imagination less and less, it is a skill we loose.

Visualizing whole rituals can feel very difficult at first because you have to concentrate very hard and keep that concentration going. With practice, however, you will become good at visualizing. And if your first years of practicing magic or Wicca or any other path consists of doing it through visualization, you will become very good at performing powerful ritual and spells later on.

Because, you might light candles, wave your wand, put together spell ingredients, and read incantations, but nothing will come of it if you do not also put the power of your mind behind it. So practice with patience. Maybe just practice casting a circle in your mind at first, or visualize yourself in your ritual space. It can be the room you are in, or a completely different room. Your choice.

However you practice, you will become good at it after a while. When I had done this for a few years, I was able to do it whenever I needed it, wherever I was: on the bus, in class, even once at dinner.

~***~

So let nothing stop you, just start practicing ritual and spellwork, in your mind. Take baby steps while starting and, as Scott Cunningham put it in Living Wicca: Just do it!


Blessed Be!
~Stella

PS: this post has no images, you'll just have to visualize the pictures of all the tools, and of me standing in line for school lunch, eyes closed, doing ritual. ;)

Book of Shadows - the Project

Maiden, Mother, Crone. Drawings from my page on the Triple Goddess.

I have owned a large, hand made Book of Shadows for a few years now. It was a custom project hand made by a dear friend of mine, a monster of a book with 600+ pages. Basically it was a dream of mine come true to own such a tome. My intention from the beginning has been to fill it with information and to make it a collection of knowledge on my Wiccan path. 

My big, leather-bound Book of Shadows. So many pages to fill.

I have many different books and old Book of Shadows that I do use. But they are more like journals where I have collected my thoughts and different snippets of information from different sources. The intention of this book has therefore been to not just gather information, but to do so in a thought out way, preferably with a lot of pictures and drawings. This has meant that I have been very restrictive with what and how I write anything in my tome.

The big Book of Shadows-project, however, is now officially in the making. I have planned and made mock layouts for it for a while, and the thought process has taken its time. But I have finally begun to fill the pages with information. It is going to be a slow process, and it is ongoing. One does not simply fill 600+ pages in a few days.

Moon phases and how to utilize them for magical or other such workings.

The pages I have now been working on contain the moon phases, information on the moon, different moon deities, the Triple Goddess, and other moon related aspects of the Craft, such as chants and moon rituals.

The moon phases. I drew and painted this on a separate piece of paper and inserted it in the BoS.

I find myself enjoying drawing the images and making small doodles. Pictures speak their own language, and relay their own messages. My aim now is to consequently work with the BoS from time to time to fill its pages. I also want to share my progress in the hopes that it might inspire others in their own magical endeavors.

Blessed be!

~Stella

Money Jar Spell

Autumn has begun and with it I sense magic in the air, a buzzling feeling of a new season. I have recently started studying again, which means I have rather less money to live on than when I worked as a teacher. Thus, in order to attract prosperity into my life I went looking for spells of that kind.

Now, as always, one should never expect to just have money fall into one's hands just because of a money spell. It could happen, yes, but if you do not work toward your goal, you will most likely not see the results. The money spell I am about to write down might work for you or it might not, and I am in no way responsible for the results you have with it (if you perform it, go gamble and loose all your money, realize that you are the one responsible for that loss).

That said, let's get down to business.

There are numerous money spells to be found in books and on the net. As I was casually browsing Instagram I came across this image that had been reposted by an other user:

Money spell jar by @herbal.moon.goddess on Instagram

It drew my attention and I felt inspired. So I copied it into my own spellbook, researched some correspondences and tweaked the spell to my liking. When doing magic, I feel it is important to listen to your intuition and do things that speak to you, that feel right. It is not about having to have the precise ingredients called for, or doing it at a time inconvenient to you. Choose ingredients for a spell that work for you and feel right for your working, and do the spell at a time that feels right. My instructions come with recommendation and suggestions, but you choose your own way of doing it.

The spell in it's original form calls for different ingredients with money correspondence to be put in a glass jar, then to be charged with your intentions and placed on your altar or carried with you to remind you of your goal.

Ingredients:

• Container: a glass jar is suggested, but you could also use a wooden box or small pouch, especially if you will carry it around with you.
• Representation of money: Like attracts like. You could use coins or bills to represent money, but if this is not possible, write a money symbol on a piece of paper and use that.
• Herbs: There are numerous hers that can be used. Mint has long been associated with wealth and prosperity. Others could be (but are not limited to) cinnamon, allspice, cloves, chamomile, jasmine, nutmeg and vervain.
• Essentioal oils: Patchouli and orange bergamot are the original suggestions, with options for chamomile, mint, cinnamon and basil
• Crystals: Citrine, green aventurine, moss agate, tourmaline.

These are mere suggestions. Research books or the web to find other ingredients with correspondences to money. It you do not have a certain ingredient readily available, consider if it is strictly necessary for you to go out and buy it. In my mind, the point of a money and prosperity spell is not to spend money in order to work it, but to work with what you have to achieve your goals. It is not only about making money, but about saving it as well. With that said, here are some other things you might think of when working your money jar spell:

• The colors green and gold (orange for success) are often used in money spells (that is the reason for choosing eg. citrine och green aventurine). Green is a color of growth while gold quite literally suggests wealth. Orange is a color for success. You could incorporate these colors by burning a candle of that color during the spell, and then again if you renew the spell or meditate on it. 
• Moon phase: spells to draw money and prosperity toward you should ideally be performed during a waxing moon. If you have to do the spell during a waning moon, you might instead opt to let go of ill spending habits. 
• Day of the week: Thursday is the day ruled by Jupiter and thus represents money and prosperity. You might opt to perform your spell on a Thursday of the waxing moon. 

There are several other correspondences you could incorporate, but I will repeat what I said earlier: Magic should be intuitive. If you hesitate because you fear you do not have the right ingredients, or might perform the ritual on the wrong day, then that doubt will influence your work. Correspondences are meant to help you bring power to your work easier. The more connections you feel that your spell has to the goal you are working toward, the easier it will be for you to perform your spell. So choose what you feel works for you and let's do some magic!

I copied the spell into my spell book, wrote down some additional information about different correspondences.
The chant I used popped into my mind during the spellcasting.

Like I said I tweaked the spell to suit my needs and chose ingredients based on what I had and what felt right. I ended up using an old glass jar (found at a flea market last year), a citrine and green agate, some pine nuts (because in the moment I opened my pantry my eyes fell on them and I thought "Yes! Those are the ones I will use") and some dried blackcurrant berries that I harvested and dried myself last year. I also included a gold colored coin, lit some patchouli and amber incense (I had mint oil in a diffuser in the room just before the ritual) and burned a green candle.

Once you have your ingredients, cleanse them in any way you wish (I used white sage), and create your sacred space. You do not need to do ritual if you do not want to, but I like to do it. I also like having a circle in place to store all power and not let other things that I have not invited in to influence my work. This is my basic ritual plan for spellwork, bare bones:

1. Cleanse the ritual space, tools and yourself
2. Ground and center
3. Begin the ritual by casting a circle
4. Call the quarters and deity 
5. Preform the spell: Add the ingredients to the jar, stating with each ingredient your goal
6. Raise energy for your spell. I did this by chanting:

Money and prosperity,

will be bountiful to me.

And once I had raised the energy and charged it into the jar I closed the top saying:

As I will, so mote it be!

     7. Thank deity and release the quarters

     8. Release the circle and extinguish any candles

You are now done. I allowed my green candle to burn  until I went to bed, and I will keep burning it and recharging the jar on Thursdays, renewing my consciousness about my goal.

Good luck in your spellwork!

Blessed be!

~Stella

Review: Witch Casket November box

I did a couple of reviews for the Witch Casket subscription box at the beginning of the year, but have not done any since. There are a few reasons for this: First of all I did not order all the boxes during 2018. I got the boxes for January and February, May, June and July, and then November and December. Because of a hectic summer I did not have time to review the boxes I got during Summer, but I will review the last two boxes of the year. The second reason I did not review the boxes I got during the summer is that I had some thoughts and issues I was going through in my mind. I will write a separate blog post about these thoughts at some point.

For now, however, I am back to reviewing the boxes. Also: I pay for these boxes myself, and no one has asked me to review them. All opinions expressed in these reviews are 100% my own, and I take full responsibility for them. So without further ado, here is the content's list for the November Witch Casket:

• Witch Casket Exclusive – Altar Bell
• Witch Casket Exclusive – Altar Cloth
• Witch Casket Exclusive – Charm Keyring with info card
• Witch Casket Exclusive – Magickal Spaces Parchment Scroll
• Witch Casket Exclusive – Crystal Ball Enamel Pin 
• Witch Casket Exclusive – Black Candle with spell card
• Witch Casket Essentials – Bay Leaves with info card
• Amethyst Pendant
• Purple Banded Agate & Info Card
• Lavender Incense Cones
• Berry Berry Loose Leaf Tea by TeaCakes of Yorkshire
• Square Art Print by TeaCake Art
• A6 Art Print by Ilinca Mitchell Art

In all the box contained 13 items plus the usual list of contents/monthly letter and Witch Casket business card. The theme of the month was the witch's magical space. The wrapping paper in the box was white and the colour theme was white and pink. This is one thing I have enjoyed with the caskets: the comprehensive colour-themes. 

So on to the items. I will not discuss every item in the box. First, here are some general thoughts: I liked the art prints, the pin,  and the stone included. The incense I will be giving away to someone since I already have a lot of Lavender incense in my stash. The amethyst pendant was a nice piece that I might use for something different than a piece of jewelry, we'll see. 

The black candle spell was nice. It is a basic spell that can easily be adjusted to personal needs. A good spell to have in your arsenal. The bay leaves were also nice. I love their smell and I have been using them a lot. However, I would not recommend burning them, as the once I burned did not so much go up in flames or smoke, but in sparks that flew everywhere. So do be careful burning bay leaves.

The tea was lovely and I really enjoyed the fact that there was a description of the content of the tea. I do not know if this was the first time Witch Casket added the content but it is something I have been sorely missing in earlier teas. 

The scroll had a really pretty artwork and a nice description of the witch's altar. As with previous caskets I feel the information could be even more in depth, but I also understand that this might not be possible considering the format of this subscription box.

The altar cloth.

The altar cloth was a nice addition to the casket, even though mine had a very chemically smell when it arrived. I am also worried about how the print will last if I need to wash it. There were no washing instructions included, but I would suppose that a mild temperature or even a hand wash would be best considering the print. 

The altar bell: I laughed when I saw this because a while back I had been looking at a silver-coloured bell for my altar. In the end I decided not to buy it as it felt like it was not the right time. So receiving a bell in the Witch Casket felt like it was meant to be. The only thing I do not like about this bell it that it has the Witch Casket logo printed on one side in quite big letters. I do not like keeping branded items on my altar so this bothers me a little bit and makes me feel like not using the bell at all. I am hopeful that I might be able to somehow remove it. 

The charm key ring has proven very useful. I like the fact that the container is waterproof thanks to the rubber ring on it. I used it during December in a ritual I will describe later. The fact that it was so easy to carry this with me really helped with the spell I was working with. Also I really like the fact that this is a reusable item that also looks discreet.

Lastly a few more general notes: I am happy with my box. It arrived during the second week of December, which is the latest I have received any Witch Casket. I think the large amount of mail and parcels arriving for the Holiday season is to blame for this. As I write I am also still waiting for my December box. I am expecting it to arrive next week, but I know that my friends in Vasa have already received theirs, so it might just be that the mail service in Kokkola is a bit on the slow side.

Review: Witch Casket February box

I finally have time to review the February box from Witch Casket. For those who do not know Witch Casket is a "vegan friendly, magickal witchy subscription box," according to their homepage. They are a mother-daughter company and make themed monthly subscription boxes. The February box is the second one I ordered, and this post will be my review of the box. So to start off, here is the list of contents:

The list of contents included in the box.

The theme of the February box is self love. This shows throughout most of the content, packaged in black and purple. In all I really like how nicely everything is packaged and how the color theme runs throughout the whole box. This creates a feeling that everything is well thought through. I will not comment on every product, but here are my thoughts on some of them. I will start with my least favorite things and move up from there.

Both boxes I have received so far have contained what I would describe as lifestyle, fashion or statement products, that do not directly have a magical application. Last time there was a badge and a hat. This time we get a keyring with the text "good witch", a badge with "mirror mirror" on it and a relaxation/meditation eye mask. These are the products I have spent most time pondering on what their function is in the box.

Don't get me wrong, these are really nice products, and things I can make use of. I love badges, for example, but I fail to see what this "mirror mirror" badge has to do with the box itself. Maybe I just feel that it could have said something relating more to the theme of the box, like "love yourself". The keyring has come in handy since I have been needing a new one.

The meditation mask with the text "Let me be, I'm meditating" is nice and edgy and it fits nicely. My biggest problem with it is that it is made out of cheap polyester (plastic), with no information about the material or how to care for it. I would appreciate it a hundred times more if it were made from natural fibers which would have made it more environmentally friendly. The thought behind the eye mask is nice and I will be using it on long trips.

Here are the contents of the February box.

The self-love bath/shower potion has been really nice. It is scented with a lavender perfume. The pentacle necklace from Curiology has to be one of the most unique pentacles I have ever seen. It is made from this holographic acrylic which makes it look pink, purple, green and some other colors at the same time. Not maybe what I would wear normally, but I am sure I will have a chance to include it with some outfit. To me it feels more like a fashion statement than religious jewelry.

The Blue Lady loose leaf tea was an interesting blend of black tea and maybe citrus? I don't normally like teas with lemon in them, so this is not my favourite tea. However, that is not my problem with it. My problem is that I would like to see the list on ingredients, which is something I could not find anywhere in the box. Especially for people with allergies or people on certain medication it is vital to know the ingredients of the tea they drink. Some herbs can counteract certain medicines and some ingredients might cause allergic reactions. I also like to know what is in the tea I am drinking.

Now moving on to the items I loved:

The self-love ritual kit, the art by TeaCakeArt, the candle snuffer and the affirmation card deck. Sorry for the glare that blurred out the text on the cards.

The candle snuffer is a practical tool I have been missing for a long time. I have been wanting to thrift one for ages but just have not found one. So when I found this black candle snuffer in the box I was thrilled. What is more, it is small and compact which is good if I need to travel with it.

The affirmation card deck has come in handy many times. I like that the cards are printed on sturdy cardstock and that they come in their own little pouch.

The self-love ritual kit was also very nice. The smell of rose and lavender that I was met with as I opened the bag was very pleasant. I am not a huge fan of tea candles so I have used some pink tapered candles dressed in lavender essential oil for the ritual included in the kit. It is a handy little ritual for learning to meditate and become mindful of the positive aspects of ones life.

In all I am very happy with the February box. Here is a compilation of the best parts and some thing I am missing or feeling thoughtful about:

+ I absolutely love the color theme and how it goes hand in hand with the content of the box. Most content seems to have a connection with the theme and the "side" products tie in with the themed products. The theme works and is well built.

- I would like to see some more background information for some products (and some ingredient lists for the tea). For beginning witches, especially, getting more instructions and information on how to use products and the symbology behind items, colors and herbs would be really helpful.

+ On that note I will continue by saying that the small information cards that do come along with some of the items are really nice and useful. They are a good introduction and I wish they came with more of the items. I have started collecting mine in the book that came with the January box.

-/+ I feel there is too much plastic in the box. I would feel better about the contents if they were packaged in paper as I am trying to reduce the amount of plastic I use. However, the box itself, as well as the small plastic bags can be reused. The bag for the tea and ritual kit are resealable, and what is even better is that they can be opened without tearing the top section off. So a big plus for that.

+ Even though I am not a fan of polyester, I do like the small organza bags that come with the badge and the keyring. These can easily be used to hold charms, gems or other things. I wish that the gemstone and the items from Curiology would also come packaged in small fabric bags instead of in plastic.

So that is it for the February box. All of the items have seen some use and will continue to do so. And I will continue ordering the box for as long as I can. It is not a hugely expensive subscription box, but I do not make a lot, so I had a break in ordering this item during March and April. The next box I review will be the May box, which just arrived.

If you have any questions or thoughts you can leave them in a comment below. I am not sponsored by Witch Casket. The opinions expressed are entirely my own. I pay for the box with my own hard-earned money, and the only contact I have had with the company is when I e-mailed them to change my address.

Have a blessed magical day!
~Stella

Review: Witch Casket January Box

It has taken me a while to get there, but I am finally ready to review the first box I got from Witch Casket. I will not talk about every item in it, but rather focus on the general impression and a few specific products. Disclaimer: This is my personal review and thoughts on this subscription box. I pay for it with my own money and I am not sponsored in any way by Witch Casket.

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Witch Casket is a small company run from Britain by mother-daughter duo Deb and Ella. The subscription box was launched in November 2016 and has subscribers in 20 countries. The box does not come with tracking so be aware of this if you consider a subscription. Deb and Ella are however very responsive to e-mail and are active on social media, posting pictures of their caskets shipping out.

At the end of 2017 I decided to order this subscription box. The boxes ship on the 15th of each month and I received mine on the 24th of January. I believe it took this long to arrive because of the Finnish post being very slow sometimes. Anyway, let's jump to the contents:

These goodies arrived in a nice white carton box.

The box was well packaged and the presentation was very nice. The contents were wrapped in a grey silk paper, which made it feel like it had been prepared with great care. The smell of Nag champa incense met me almost immediately as I opened the box. I will not list all the contents, but rather here is a list of the contents that was provided in the box.

The contents as listed on the note that came in the box.

The first two items I picked out of the box were the art print and the book mark, both of which are among my favorites from this box. The print by Tea Cake Art is simply stunning. And as I love bookmarks and Edgar Allan Poe, the bookmark with a quote by him was right up my alley. However, before I continue with other favorites, let me talk a little bit about some other products in the box.

The Witch-beanie is really nice, but I am not sure how much I will be wearing it. The material is listed as 100% acrylic (which I am sure that is not true for the embroidery which is sure to be polyester), and I cannot stand acrylic. I try to use natural materials as much as possible and acrylic is plastic. It is often used as a substitute for wool because it can be made to mimic the feel of wool. But as I mostly use beanies while out in the woods, on hikes and in camp life where my materials have to be able to withstand fire and weather, I would not be able to bring this with me. It does fit nicely however, so I will try to find use for it, or to find a nice new home for it.

Ginger loose leaf green tea.

I drink a lot of tea and always love sampling different teas. This was a nice sampling size: 8 grams of loose green tea with some ginger in it. What I did lack were brewing instructions. Green tea cannot been brewed in too high temperatures as it will turn bitter. But in too low temperatures you will not be able to taste the ginger. I brewed mine in a teapot at about 75 degrees Celsius. The ginger was very subtle, to the point where I could barely taste it, but that could also be due to the cold I am suffering (and ginger is good to drink where you've got that cold going on). In general a basic tea that could maybe have had a bit more ginger in it. Enough for four small teacups or one large teapot.

My favorites from the January Witch Casket.

I already talked about the art print and the bookmark. I also mentioned that the box smelled of nag champa incense. There are 12 incense cones in the package and a small burner to hold your incense. This is always a good basic incense to have and the smell for some reason reminds me of fresh, clean laundry.

The stone is a black line Jasper and is a new stone for me, so it will be exciting to start working with it. I love buttons, so the witchy themed button with "Wisdom begins in wonder" was really lovely. It came in a small organza bag which will surely find its use as a spell satchel.

Lastly there is the book, which is also the theme for the January box: Grimoires, spellbooks and witch's journals. The book is hardcover. It has a small strap for fastening a pen or pencil to it (this would by the way have been a great addition to the box), and an elastic band for keeping the book closed. There is a bookmark band and inside the back cover is a pocket for keeping small notes etc. The pages are cream paper and they are lines.

Notebooks are always good to have. I have not yet decided what to use mine for as I already have more notebooks than I could count. I do know, however, that it will come in handy and be put to good use.

So what are my final thoughts on this box?

• The box was very nicely packaged and the color theme and packaging throughout was well completed and thought out.
• Some of the products seemed more like lifestyle-products than as something to do with magic (eg. the beanie, sticker and skull spoon) but they do follow the general witchy theme.
• There could have been a bit more tea, but the amount included was a good sample size. Brewing instructions would be good to include.
• The emotional healing charm bag kit could have included more information about the separate ingredients included in it. Especially for beginners it would be good to know what qualities the ingredients represent. 

In general I felt like the products tied very loosely together with each other, and there was a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Some items clearly were linked to the theme of spell books/grimoires, but most felt like they were just products with a witchy theme. I am however positively impressed by the box and the quality of the contents. They provide inspiration to a magical life and to perform spells. Receiving the notebook at the beginning of the year inspires making notes about one's magical journey though the year of 2018. The bookmark begs to be used either to mark pages in that journal or in some book on magic one might pick up and read during this year.

In short, I am happy with the box and I am looking forward to reviewing the next one (which arrived earlier this week).

Many blessings!
~Stella